Now that Evo 2012 is over and everyone has had a chance to recover from the excitement, we can look back; there’s a lot to learn from.

• One of the best things about this year was its high quality of play. Even if a particular game wasn’t your favorite, it probably had some great competition on display and was worth tuning in for. Even the crowd seemed to agree, cheering for King of Fighters and Mortal Kombat like they did for Street Fighter. There may have been differences in volume, but most people weren’t ‘hating on’ any given game.

Intense competition delighted the crowd in a variety of games.

• Osamu got his dream shot, and he clearly had a great time. Thank you to those who contributed! This is definitely one of those situations where you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

• Evo has come a long way since its origins as Battle by the Bay in Sunnyvale, California. We now have major companies like Sony recruiting talent from the tournament, and using it as a chance to show off new games like Playstation All Stars! Having publishers take us seriously could mean increased attention to the details we care about in a competitive environment. It’s unfortunate stream viewers missed some matches due to the PSAS exhibition, and that is something to be careful of in the future, but the industry giving us this kind of respect is a welcome trend.

• The Super Turbo tournament was great, and it was well worth gathering both the players and hardware. The crowd during the finals was also fantastic! I proposed selling footage of them to National Geographic, presenting the scattered shouts of ‘yohhh-wuh!’ as exotic mating calls, but SRK’s official position on this plan has been “lol.”

• A few players enjoyed playing the villain, picking unpopular teams and strategies while antagonizing the crowd. I’m all for it, since making the match a battle of good versus evil is a great way to get the audience invested in the outcome. So long as everyone understands most players stop being ‘evil’ once he unplugs the controller, this seems like silly but harmless fun. Of course, some matches were so exciting that they didn’t need a gimmick to get the spectators excited. That’s for the best; some theatrics are fine, but this is a real competition rather than a comedy event.

• The streaming teams deserve a lot of credit for their hard work. They kept the broadcast running pretty smoothly, and there was a lot of good action to watch! A varied cast of commentators was also a nice touch. Many of us couldn’t afford to attend Evo 2012 in person, so the streamers and commentators presented the next best thing.

• We need to remember that there is a narrow but important line between playfully teasing competitors and being outright mean. Anyone traveling all the way to Vegas and playing on stage in front of a huge audience deserves respect. Some joking trash talk is fine, but we should rise above blatant insults.

• On the other hand, most of you were great! You found the right balance between being enthusiastic and playful, while not being outright disruptive. Following the requests of tournament staff was also a big help, and kept the event running smoothly. When players, venue owners, and event organizers are all happy, that’s a winning combination.

An excellent crowd made Evo 2012 even more memorable!

Photos courtesy of Kara Leung